I'm not sure that I would
I'm not sure that I would ever spend thousands to restore a 1979 Chevy Nova. A '64 Nova, sure! But the mid-to-late 70's was a very sad time for American cars. And I wouldn't put in good money for bad there. As to the value of engine swaps, I had a 2004 Honda CR-V which burned a valve at 135K miles, and I found a 60K mile used motor and swapped it out with the help of my mechanic friend. The newer motor cost me less than a head rebuild, and the car ran great for another 150K miles before the CR-V was hit and retired. I would do that swap again in a heartbeat. But some of that was because it was a Honda, and the rest of the CR-V soldiered on without complaint or added expense for years with it's new heart transplant. I put a couple newer engines into my 1959 Karmann Ghia over the years, which was relatively simple process. And certainly worth the minimal effort. But I do have a great sentimental attachment to the car, which makes the engine swap choice easy, when necessary. I have owned many cars though that wouldn't be worth the effort or expense.